Door-operating mechanism



J. O. NEIKIRK.

@ MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC1I4, 19l8.

DOOR OPERATIN Patented AprulZ, 1921.

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DGOR OPERATLNG MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED DEC.14. 1918' 374,516". Patented Apr--12, 1921.

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J. 0. NEIKIRK.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.14, I918.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

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J. 0. NEIKIRK 000R OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14,1918.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921 4 SHEETS SHEET 4.

12065 02" John Oflezficfk I K v NORRIS PETERS, WC LITNO.. WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED sre'rss PAT NT o FIcE i Jean 0. NEiKIRKQOF LOMBARID, I LLINoIs, AssIe oR 'r'o 30mm BALnAs'i' can COMPANY, or cHIcAeo, ILLINOIS, AcoItronATIoN or MAINE.

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To allwhom it may concern: 7

Be it knownthat I, JOHN O. NE KIRK, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Lombard, inthe county of Dupage and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements, in Door- Operating Mechanism, of which the following, is, a specification. j c

. This invention relates to dooroperating mechanism. r .In the operation of the dump doors, and

particularly those of ballast cars, thereis great advantage in controlling the open ng of these doors in a step by step manner whereby said doors may be opened gradually the desired amount to permit the required flow of material .for ballast Work. I am' awareof the fact that dump doors of ballast cars heretofore have been provided with means whereby the same may be gradually 1 opened in a step by step manner, but, the

mechanism thus far used may be simplified 'andthe positive control of the dump doors Accordingly, the object vof this invent on is to simplify and improve the operation and control of dump doors of dump cars,

and particularly ballast cars, and to provide improved operating and control mechanism for such doors. s V

This and other ob ects are accomplished by means of the mechanism disclosed on the accompanying sheets of drawings, in Which Figure 1 1s a fragmentary side elevation of a ballast ear embodying my invention;

7 Fig.2 is an end view of the same car; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same car taken intermediate the trucks;

Fig. 4c is a detail view showing the operating shaft in side elevation and my door operating and control mechanism In end elevatiOn i a Fig. 5 is a detail view of the same arrangement, showing I the control and operating mechanism in side elevation; V :1

Fig-6 is a view of the same operating and control mechanismtaken in the plane of llne 66ofFig.5; 7'

i Fig. 7 is a detail plan view-of a mod fied form of operating and control mechan sm; and I a 8 is a side elevation of the same. 7 The various novelfeatures of my Inven- Specification of Letters Patent.

tion will be apparent from the following. ole-- it will be noted that I! have illustrated-my.

invention-in connection with a Hart convertlble car, lIlCllldlIlga body having sides '10,

ends 11 and a'ifloor, including longitudinally extending doors '12, 13,14 and 15, which when in, closed position lie in a horizontal plane to form the'flat bottom o fthe car.

" Thesides ofthe car include swinging members 16 and which when supported in an Inclined- POSltlOll, form, with the floor doors 13 and 14:, side walls of a centralhopper, the

bottom of which is fo-rmedby afl t ti I 70 portion;.l81 and a dump door 1'9" pivotally connected at 20,6the door 19,'or do0rs,if it is ClGSlIBCl'tO have a plurality of doors in lon- :gitudinal alinement,' being provided with operating mechanism including a shaft 21,

around which one end of a chain 22 is V scented Apr. ,12, 1921; Application filed December 14, 1918. v Serial no. 266,729;

wound, the other end. of the chain being I ',operatively'-connected to the door-219.: In

addition to the central dump doors'19 for dumping the ballastmaterial between'the tracks, flthe' floor dump -doors 12 and 15,

which are pivoted at their inner lendsfmay be lowered or swung into an' open position to dump ballastrmaterial to the sides of the track. 'The door operating mechanism forr the dump doors 12 and 15 include'sshafts23 and 24:, respectively: around which one end of each "of-aplura-lity ofchain's 25' passfthe opposite 'end'of said chains beingconnected" to said dump'doors. v 1

zThlS invention relates -"tothe door operating and'control mechanism; In

view of the fact that the door-operating and control mechanism is :theisame,for -all, the

dump doors1.2, l5 and 19,v only -onewill be specifically described, it being understood that :such mechanism in each case is applied to theoperating shafts 21, 231and 24. Re-

ferring to Figs. 1; 5 and 6, it will noted that the operating shaft21 has securely or rigidly mounted thereon aratchet wheel 26, includ ing a central {disk having integrally-formed soi stop 11161111381827 on oppositesidesthereof,

the seriesof stop members on one-side of the diskbeing} staggered with respect to the 7 series pf'stop members on the-other side.- Cooperating with the stop members 27 are jaws 28 of a pawl 29 pivotally connected at 30 to any suitable bracket 31, the outer end of thepawl having a socket portion 32. for the reception of an operating handlewhereby the pawl member 29 may be oscillated back and forth in a manner such that its jaws 28 may function with the stop members 27. As stated hereinabove, it is desirable to open the dump doors, or permit. the doors to drop, increment by increment 111.

a controlled manner, whereby the outward flow of the ballast, or other material, may be controlled to a nicety.

'.'Let it be assumed that any one of the dump doors, is in its closed position and it is desired to open the same a certain predetermined amount to permit a given flow of ballast material. -With the dump door 1n its closedposition one of the jaws 28 is in.

engagement with the upper surface of one of the stop members 27, thereby holding the door in said position, itbei-ng understood that the' load inthe car has a' tendency to force the door open and through the medium of the operating chain to rotate the operating shaft in' a clockwise direction. Referring particularly to Fig. 6, it will be noted that one of the jaws 28 isin a position over one of the stop members 27 preventing the ratchet wheel. 26 andth'e shaft 21 from rotating inv a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5. To permit'the door to lower one step, the pawl 29 is shifted laterally so that the jaw 28 in question movesaway from the disk 26 and out of engagement with the associated stop member 27 to permit the shaft to rotate one set in a clockwise direction, thereby permitting the door to open a given amount. However, this rotative movement 'is then arrested by the other jaw 28 which.

moves toward'the disk 27 and into the path of movement of the next succeeding stop member 27 on the opposite side of the disk 26. To permit a further opening movement of the dump door, the pawlis moved in the opposite direction. This oscillatory movement of the pawl 29 is continued, permitting the dump door to open step by step until the same has been opened the desired amount to permit the'ballast or other dumpable manoted that I have shown a modified form of door operating andcontrol mechanism in which I have provided an integrallyformed ratchet wheel including a plurality of disks 40 and 41 having formed on the inner sides thereof a plurality of stop members 42 which are arranged in staggered relationship. Cooperating with the stop members 42 is a pawl43 pivotally connected at 44 to a supporting bracket 45, said pawl having at its outer end a socket portion 46 for the reception of an operating handle. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the pawl 43 is in engagement with the flat top portion of one of the stop members on the disk 40 to prevent the shaft from rotating in a clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 8. However, if it is desired to permit the dump door to open one step, the pawl member 43 is moved away from the disk 40 and out ofengagement with the associated stop member 42, whereupon the door is opened a given'amount. At the same time, however, the pawl 43 has moved towardthe disk 41 and directlyinto the path Ofmove- 3 ment of the next succeeding stop member 42,- thereby' arresting further movement of the operating shaft 21 and the associated door. Further step by step door opening movements may be permitted by oscillation of the pawl 43. It will be noted that the pawlv 43, during its lateral movements, follows a serpentine or zig-zag path formed by the 'stop' members 42 on the disks 40 and 41. To prevent accidental movement of the pawl 4.1, andthereby an .openingrmovel ment of the dump door, I have provided a cam locking member 47 which is pivotally mounted at 48 011 a supporting plate 49,

said cam being movable into engagement 7 with "one side or the other of a projection 50 formed on the socket portion 46 'of the pawl (hen the cam locking member 47 is in locklng engagement with the pawl projections 50, it impossible to oscillate the pawl to permit an opening movement of the dump. doorf A modifiedform of locking mechanism, including a pin 51 insertible into openings which may be brought into alinement, is shown in Fig. 6. The

door closing mechanism shown in Figs. 7

and 8 is identical with the door closing mechanism shown infth'e other figures of the drawings. By means of this simple and compact door'operating and control mechanism the dump doorsmay be operated and I controlled in an improved and desirable manner to successfully. meet service conditions. f

lVhile this operating mechanism is shown in connection with a ballast car, it'is to beumderstood that it is applicable to any type of dump cars where the control of the door is desirable, and that it" is not the intention to limit the use of the invention to ballast cars. I claim: I v r a i 1 1. A door operating mechanism comprising a shaft, a member rigidly mounted upon said shaft, said member being provided with stop members in diagonal relation to each other, and means for consecutively engaging said stop members.

2. A door operating mechanism compris ing a shaft, a disk rigidly mounted upon said shaft, said disk being provided with stop members, each stop member being diagonally arranged with relation to'the adjacent stop members, and an operating lever provided with means for consecutively engaging the stop members.

3. A door operating mechanism comprising a shaft, a member mounted upon said shaft, said member being provided with a plurality of series of stop members, the stop members of one series being arranged in staggered relation to members of the adjacent series, and an operating member for alternately engaging the stop members of the series. 7 V.

4:. A door operating mechanism including a shaft, means mounted thereon havin a plurality of staggered stop members, an

Vmeans for successively engaging said stop members whereby the dump door may be opened step by step to control the flow of dumpable material.

5. A door operating mechanism includ by step to control the flow of dumpable ma- 'tcrial.

6. A door operating mechanism including a disk having a plurality of laterally extending stop members, and a pivotally mounted laterally movable pawl for successively engaging said stop members whereby the dump door may be opened step by step to control the fiow of dumpable material.

7. Dump door control mechanism including movable means with stop members arranged in zig-zag formation, and a pawl movable into and out of engagement with said stop members for controlling a step by step opening movement of the door.

' 8. Dump door control mechanism including a disk having a plurality of later-ally extending stop members, a pawl engageable successively with said stop members whereby the dump door may be operatedstep by step, and means for locking said pawl m a given position;

Signed at Chicago, of December, 1918.

I11inois,this 12th 'day JOHN'O. NEIKIRK. 

